Children of Ingleside
by Iffie
Summary: Please Read and Review This a new story but old title some changes.
1. Prologue

Children of Ingleside- _Revisited_

_**Author's Forward**-As most of you already know, the first COI was accidently deleted from fanfiction and I did not have any of the chapters saved on my computer. This is going to be a similar story but obviously not the same one. There have been some changes in regards to who marries whom and what children there are but I feel that the spirit of the story has remained the same. I have a planned prequel and a planned sequel to this, the prequel being Twilight's End and the sequel being Our Children No Longer. I might also do a small story about Shirley called The Girl in the Library Window. Look for these soon!_

**Prologue- Anne remembers.**

Anne Shirely of yore sat down on her verandah steps and gave herself over to a splendid half-hour of day-dreaming. It was so easy for her to be truly herself there, where she could gaze at the stars and smell the roses in the sweet night air. And

there were simply so many lovely things to think over that particular evening but she especially wanted to dream about one particular thing that would no longer be a dream but a reality in three weeks time-Ingleside was going to have a reunion. It would be splendid to see all of her children again and all of her grandchildren. This would be the first time in eight years that the would all be in one place at one time. The last time that they had been together it had been for a very sad reason but this would be different. They would all come back to her with joyful hearts-the ones that were far and the ones were near.

Her first son, Jem was one that hadn't strayed far, he and Faith had only gone to Lowbridge. Originally Gilbert had meant for Jim to take over his practice when he retired but Gilbert kept delaying his retirement because he could not give up the work that he loved. Anne could still remember Gilbert telling Jem that he would only work one more year but then one turned into two and so on. So, Jem had taken over for Dr. Parker and settled there. He and Faith had given her three wonderful grandchildren who she was blessed to see frequently. First there was Walter, named for his uncle and always called Walt. He was a dashing young fellow of 15 who longed to be a doctor like his father and his grandfather before him. Walt was going to enter Redmond in the fall, making him more of a man than a boy. Then came James who was called Jamie. Jamie looked very much like his Grandfather Meredith but Anne was sure that there weren't any religious inklings in him. He meant to do his father's namesake well and become a sea captain. Finally, there was Cissy, who was about to enter her teenage years. Cecilia was a quiet, well-mannered girl of few words who preferred to do her imagining in silence. She loved her brothers and they her with a strong fierceness. Anne wasn't certain what Cissy meant to do when she was older but Anne knew that whatever she chose, she would do it well for Cissy wasn't prone to doing things half-heartedly. Anne loved these three little grandchildren and was glad for their nearness but her thoughts moved along to one was often far.

Anne felt that her granddaughter, Sara Blythe, was remarkable for many reasons. She was a clever, sweet, charming, and beautiful girl of eleven years but more importantly, Sara was a granddaughter that Anne thought she would never have. Anne was certain that she could never forget the day that Walter strolled back into their lives. Everyone had lived six years without him and to have him back so suddenly and without any warning had been a major shock. But they all slowly recovered and life began to normalize again. Walter married Una, who had to close up her hat shop much to the dismay of Glen and her surrounding areas. They moved to the old Bailey house at the end of Rainbow Valley and Walter wrote books for a living. Things had been very happy for the two for a few years-first they had little Sara and then Joyce came along filling them with even more joy. When Joyce had lived only on year, tragedy struck the little family. A harsh fever swept through Glen St. Mary and both Una and Joyce had it bad. Una survived but was never able to have anymore children while poor little Joyce died. Anne didn't like to reflect on that time because it had been awful for everyone. Shortly afterwards, Walter was offered a professorship at McGill and he took it. The little house was shut up and only opened during the occasional visits. Anne was glad that once again the house would be open this summer and Rainbow Valley would be filled with the sweet voices of children.

Anne wiped her eyes as her thoughts moved on to Diana. Diana had found a life-mate in her namesake's son-Fred. This had surprised everyone because they all thought that Diana and Jack would have made a match of it but it was Diana and Fred who belonged together. Fred bought Green Gables and it was there that the two began to make a happy home. Diana loved living in Avonlea at first but then things began to get rather confusing because not only where there two Mrs. Fred Wrights but there were also two Mrs. Diana Wrights. The townsfolk had an awful time picking out names for the two couples, going through many selections until they found ones that fit. It was eventually decided to call them Mr. and Mrs. Green Gables Fred Wright and Mr. and Mrs. Lone Willow Fred Wright but because of the longness they were often called "Green Fred" and "Lone Fred" much to the dismay of Mrs. Green Fred. But when Fred the elder died there was talk of changing them to Mrs. Fred and Mrs. Dead Fred respectively but it never caught on. Diana and Fred had given Anne eight grandchildren- all girls. Diana, because of the name confusion, gave all of her daughters a name that was singularly theirs. Her first daughter, Evelyn, was who already 16, had been Anne's first grandchild. Then came the twins-Florence and Veronica who were 15 and while similar in looks were very different in personality. They were followed closely by Emogene who was 14 and positively sweet. Dorothy was 12 and was very close to her younger sister Sena who was 11. Kathryn and Maragert were the youngest of Diana's flock, being 9 and 5. Diana was proud of all her girls and was wont to say that with a farm it helped in having so many children. Fred was also proud of his girls but had to wonder why God had never given him any sons. Anne couldn't wait to see them all and thought it was wonderful that they had had such a large family.

Anne moved down the list to her own little namesake, Nan. Nan had married Jerry which surprised no one and they had taken up residence in the Lowbridge Presbyterian manse which made them close neighbors to Jem and Faith. Nan and Jerry had had five splendid boys, the first two like twins and the last three triplets. Gerald was the oldest at 14 and bore a remarkable resemblance to his Uncle Jem. Then came Jonathon who looked like his mother but was very much like his father in spirit. The triplets had been a surprise to everyone and at 12 were wont to be a handful but when all was said and done, they were gentleman. Matt, Mike and Dan were identical and loved playing tricks on anyone that they could fool. Unfortunately for then, but fortunately for the town, there were ways of telling them apart and there were people who could tell them apart. Gilbert was an excellent grandfather and could instantly tell which boy was which. Anne was glad to have these five close by to her for they certainly made for interesting times.

Anne's thoughts went onto Shirley and his three children. After the war, Shirley had taken a mathematics professorship at McGill where he then met and married a foreign

language professor by the name of Elisabeth Grey. Elisabeth was such a sweet happy thing who only got sweeter and happier with the birth of her children. Their oldest was a strapping young lad by the name of Grey who was 12. Then came the girls Jeanne and Suanne. Although there was a three year age gap between them for Jeanne was 11 and Suanne was 8, they were as close as any sisters could be. Anne missed these grandchildren sorely but was glad that they at least had their Uncle Water, Aunt Una and cousin Sara close by.

Finally, Anne's thoughts rested on her last daughter and last child- Rilla. Rilla, of course, had married Ken and although Rilla had often professed in hating children, Anne was sure that Jims had changed her mind. Yet, Rilla had only had two. Gilbert was 15 and intended on becoming a business man like his father. Anne was 13 and wasn't at present interested in dreaming about growing older; she was quite content to soak up her childhood. Rilla and Ken had settled down in Toronto which made these two the grandchildren that she saw the least. But that didn't mean that she loved these any less, rather it made their time together all the more precious.

Anne's thoughts about how she would soon have all her twenty-two grandchildren close to her again were jarred by the clanging of the old grandfather clock in the hall. Her splendid half-hour of daydreaming had turned into an hour and half. Gilbert didn't like for her to stay out in the cold night air and she knew that if she didn't go on in soon he would come out looking for her. So Anne picked up her thoughts and entered into her empty house once more with the knowledge that it would soon be full again.

_A/N-Well, review and let me know what you think about the changes that I have made. I hope that there wasn't anything too shocking in there. Next I am going to post all of the family trees, I didn't want to post them first because it sort of ruins the surprise._


	2. Blythe Family Tree

Blythe Family Tree

1.James Matthew Blythe m. Faith Meredith in 1920

1. Walter Cuthbert Blythe b. 1920

2. James Jonathon Blythe b. 1921

3. Cecilia Anne Meredith Blythe b. 1922

2. Walter Cuthbert Blythe m. Una Meredith in 1923

1. Sara Meredith Blythe b. 1924

2. Joyce Una Blythe b. 1926 d. 1927

3. Diana Rachel Blythe m. Alfred Barry Wright in 1919

1.Evelyn Rachel Wright b. 1919

2. Florcence Blythe Wright b. 1920-twin

3. Veronica Louise Wright b. 1920-twin

4. Emogene Marie Wright b. 1921

5. Dorothy Helen Wright b. 1923

6. Sena Jane Wright b. 1924

7. Kathryn Anne Wright b. 1926

8. Margaret Maureen Wright b. 1929

4. Anne Kathryn Blythe m. Gerald Ford Meredith in 1920

1. Gerald Gilbert Meredith b. 1921

2. Jonathon James Meredith b. 1922

3. Matthew Walter Meredith b. 1923- triplet

4. Michael Dennis Meredith b. 1923-triplet

5. Daniel Harold Meredith b. 1923-triplet

5. Shirley Gilberth Blythe m. Elisabeth Margeurite Grey in 1922

1. Grey Shirley Blythe b. 1923

2. Jeanne Margeurite Blythe b. 1924

3. Suanne Agnes Blythe b. 1927

6. Bertha Marilla Blythe m. Kenneth Owen Ford in 1919

1. Gilbert Blythe Ford b. 1920

2. Anne Leslie Ford b. 1922


	3. Meredith Family Tree

Meredith Family Tree

1. Gerald Ford Meredith m. Anne Kathryn Blythe in 1920

1. Gerald Gilbert Meredith b. 1921

2. Jonathon James Meredith b. 1922

3. Matthew Walter Meredith b. 1923- triplet

4. Michael Dennis Meredith b. 1923-triplet

2. Faith Meredith m. James Matthew Blythe in 1920

1. Walther Cuthbert Blythe b. 1920

2. James Jonathon Blythe b. 1921

3. Cecilia Anne-Meredith Blythe b. 1922

3. Una Meredith m. Walter Cuthbert Blythe in 1923

1. Sara Meredith Blythe b. 1924

2. Joyce Anne Blythe b. 1926 d. 1927

4. Thomas Carlyle Meredith m. Persis Rose Ford in 1922

1. Lesley Ford Meredith b. 1922-twin

2. Thomas Carlyle Meredith b. 1922-twin

3. Rose Mary-Cecilia Meredith b. 1924

5.Bruce Lee Meredith b.1909  



	4. Ford Family Tree

Ford Family Tree

1. Kenneth Owen Ford m. Bertha Marilla Blythe in 1919

1. Gilbert Blythe Ford b. 1920

2. Anne Leslie Ford b. 1922

2. Persis Rose Ford m. Thomas Carlyle Meredith in 1922

1. Lesley Ford Meredith b. 1922-twin

2. Thomas Carlyle Meredith b. 1922-twin

3. Rose Mary-Cecilia Meredith b. 1924


	5. Wright Family Tree

Wright Family Tree 

1. Alfred Barry Wright m. Diana Rachel Wright in 1919

1.Evelyn Rachel Wright b. 1919

2. Florence Blythe Wright b. 1920-twin

3. Veronica Louise Wright b. 1920-twin

4. Emogene Marie Wright b.1921

5. Dorothy Helen Wright b. 1923

6. Sena Jane Wright b. 1924

7. Kathryn Anne Wright b. 1925

8. Margaret Maureen Wright b. 1929

2. Jack Patrick Wright m. Bernice Clara Michaels in 1921

1. Eileen Joan Wright b. 1922

2. Vivan Bernice Wright b. 1923

3. Anne Cordelia Wright m. Anthony Pye Jr. in 1920

1. Cordelia Josephine Pye b. 1921

2. Frances Anne Pye b. 1923

4. Morgan Anthony Pye b. 1932


	6. Mis Family Trees

Misc. Characters-

Sloane Family Tree-

1. Matilda Michaels m. Silas Sloane in 1921(_Matilda is sister to Bernice Michaels Wright)_

1. Silas Jack Sloane b. 1922

2. Leroy Bernard Sloane b. 1923

4. Dolores Laura Sloane b. 1924

2. Irene Howard m. Bernard Elliot Sloane in 1922

1. Bernard Howard Sloane b. 1922

2. Bertha Irene Sloane b. 1924

Miller Family Tree-

1. Mary-a whole bunch of middle names-Vane m. Miller Douglass in 1919

1. Elliot Douglass b. 1919

2. Una Mary Douglass b. 1921

3. Corneilus Bryant Douglass b. 1922


	7. So it begins

**Cissy's Misery **

Cissy Blythe walked slowly and sadly along a meandering country road that would led her to the Lowbridge Presbyterian manse; she had a letter for the Mrs. Rev. Jerry Meredith from her mother, Mrs.Dr. Jem Blythe. She was a small girl for her twelve years, small and beautiful. She had lovely dark hair and midnight blue eyes. Anne was wont to call her fairylike because she did possess an otherworldly quality about her. Cissy's face often spoke of childhood joy that made all those who looked upon her happier. Normally, Cissy would have enjoyed the solitary walk because it would have given her the chance to enjoy the view and be free in herself, but today, she was distracted by other affairs. Her only bosom friend, Lucilla Rider, had moved away to Alberta. The two girls had had a rather tearful parting and Cissy was certain that she would never love anyone as much as she had loved Lucilla. The best and worst part of it was that Lucilla had loved her too, with all her heart. The two girls promised to write each other weekly but Cissy had her doubts. Alberta was so far away from Glen St. Mary, it might as well be on the other side of the moon. It was hopeless.

Life, Cissy reckoned, had been rather unfair to her in short life-especially in the way of bosom friends. It seemed to her that she could never keep one for very long- at least not one that lived close enough to play with. First, when she was six, her best friend and cousin- Sara Blythe had moved to Montreal because her father had gotten a job there. That had been horrible for Cissy- it meant that she was all alone with her brothers and boy cousins. Mother had always suggested that she play more with Una Douglass but Cissy didn't see how she possibly could. Una was just like a boy herself, always getting into awful trouble and, horror of horrors, spitting! Cissy loved it when her cousins from Avonlea came to visit because they were all girls. Cissy felt very comforted by them, especially Emogene, but the trouble was that they lived so far away and could rarely visit. So, Cissy began to pray that God would give her a sister, after all, hadn't he given Emogene oodles of sisters? But after three months of praying, nothing happened and Cissy abandoned the quest. Mother had found her crying and had told her that she would have to learn to be content with her brothers. But how Cissy could be content when she was so unhappy. Then, like a rainbow, Lucilla had come into her life and they had had three splendid years together. But Lucilla had moved away and Cissy was certain that she would never find a friend again- at least not a constant one.

So it was, with all this on her conscience that Cissy finally made it to the Lowbrige manse. Cissy generally loved it because it was always so lively. But today, she didn't care too much for it because it only offered her boys for playmates. The thought of her five cousins coming at her just now after she had lost her dearest friend was almost more than she could endure. Cissy went up the walk and rang the doorbell, praying that only her Aunt Nan would be home for she felt close to tears. Fate, it turned out, didn't hate her as much as she thought for it was Aunt Nan who answered the door.

"Why Cissy dear, won't you come in and have some tea with me? The boys have gone off on a fishing trip with their father and won't be back until later tonight." Nan said, smiling down on her niece. Nan always loved it when Cissy came to visit her for she hadn't any daughters of her own and the two had a rather special relationship. Faith was alway so busy doing community things that Nan was like a second mother to Cecilia. Cissy often came up to Nan and the two would have tea together--making Miss Cecilia feel quite grownup.

"Oh, I loved to but I only came by to drop off this note Mother wrote you." Cissy gave her Aunt the note and then turned to leave before she started crying on the spot. Normally, Cissy would have liked to have confided in her aunt but she was dubious just now about how much grownups really understood- after all, her own mother hadn't understood how much she wanted a sister--no, needed a sister to be a friend.

Nan noticed immediately that something was upsetting Cissy not only because the two were rather close but also because Cissy was a very easy child to read. How could one not notice when a rainbow seemed to have lost a bit of her shine and sparkle? "Cissy, wait for a moment, I want to write your mother back. Can't you come inside for a cooky? Maybe that will make you feel better. Won't you tell me what the trouble is,darling? Perhaps I can help."

Cissy reluctantly went inside and sat down at the kitchen table. Aunt Nan got her a cooky and a small cup of tea. Drinking tea usually made Cissy very happy because it made her feel like a grownup lady but today it wasn't helping very much. "Oh Aunt Nan, I just feel so miserable.I think I should like to go up in our old barn and have a good cry."

Nan sat down by the girl and put her arm around her, she loved little girls so much it was odd how she had never had any. "Is it because Lucilla moved to Alberta?" Mrs. Rider had also been a close friend of Nan's and she was also suffering from the loss. In fact, the whole community would be missing the Riders for they had been a very well-liked family.

"Oh yes, but it's more than that. I feel so blue because I have no little girls that are near enough to play with. Of course I love my brothers and my cousins but they don't understand everything. They won't play dress-up or dolls and I wouldn't want them to anyway. There were some girls at school but none as dear as Lucilla, besides, today was the last day of school and I won't see them much over the summer. I just wish that I would have some little girl my own age to play with this summer. I get so lonely sometimes and with Lucilla gone, I know I'll be twice as lonely." Cissy wept out to her Aunt Nan as she tried to eat her cooky, although it was impossible to eat when she was in the depths of despair.

"Cissy, darling, you're forgetting. You will have playmate this summer, why the reunion will be here before you know it." Nan said as if that settled the matter completely.

"But, Aunt Nan, the reunion isn't for another three months. I won't have anyone to play with in the mean time." Cissy moaned, Aunt Nan didn't seem to understand very much after all. Sometimes grownups were hopeless, even grownups who normally understood.

"Cissy, my dear, I think you're a little confused. The reunion is in two weeks not three months! We had to change it because your Uncle Shirley and Aunt Elisabeth couldn't come then. Didn't your father tell you? Why, your Uncle Walter, Aunt Una, and your cousin Sara are all coming this Thursday and they mean to stay all summer. Some of your Aunt Di's girls, Emogene and Evie--I think, are going to be staying over at Ingleside all summer as well. You'll be swimming in playmates my dear." Nan said to the bewildered child.

"The reunion has been moved? In two weeks? This Thursday? Sara? Perhaps Emogene, all summer? Oh, Aunt Nan! Oh, Aunt Nan! Do you really mean it?" Cissy gasped out--not even two weeks before she'd have the prospect of more playmates and her favorites meant to stay!

"Yes, darling. Do you feel better now? With everyone running around, I doubt that you'll be very lonely this summer." Nan patted the little girl on the head and went to get her another cooky. Cissy's appetite was sure to be returning. After all, how can one continue to be in the depths of despair with such promising news as that?

"I feel--I feel- I can't explain it. It's like I might burst for joy. Oh life isn't such a dreary thing after all, is it?" Cissy exclaimed as she gladly took the monkey face cooky from her dear aunt.

"No darling, it isn't. Here, I've finished the note to your mother. You'd better run along home." Nan said to the clearly excited girl and watched her run out to door and head home. Nan decided that she'd better have a talk with Faith, perhaps one of the girls could stay with Cissy this summer or she might go down to Ingleside for awhile. She hadn't fully appreciated how hard it must be on Cissy to be the only girl.

Meanwhile, Cissy ran down the road with a burst of gladness in her heart. Life wouldn't be such a lonely thing after all. She would have oodles and oodles of cousins to play dress-up with and they wouldn't make fun of her either, she was sure. It was going to be a thrilling summer--a summer full of girls!


End file.
